jQuery .not() Method

What Is .not()?

.not(selector|element|array) (since jQuery 1.0) and .not(function|selection) (since 1.4) build a new set without the rejected elements. Pass a selector, DOM node, array, jQuery object, or callback. Returns a new jQuery object; does not change the DOM by itself.

$("li").not(":nth-child(2n)");     // odd items (official)
$("div").not(".green, #blueone");  // exclude green + #blueone
$("p").not("#selected");           // drop one id
$("li").not(function (i) {         // callback: true → exclude
  return i % 2 === 0;
});

// filter() → keep matches
// not()    → drop matches

How to Use .not()

Start with a set, then drop what you do not want.

1. Select a broad set (e.g. $("li") or $("div")).
2. Call .not(selector) to remove matching elements.
3. Or pass a DOM node / jQuery object / array (1.4+ for selection & function).
4. Or use a callback — return true to exclude that element.
5. Chain styling or other methods on the remaining set.

Pseudocode

call $(set).not(criterion)

result = empty set
for each element in set (with index i):
    if criterion is a function:
        exclude = criterion(i, element) is true
    else if criterion is a selector:
        exclude = element matches selector
    else:
        exclude = element is in criterion (node / array / jQuery)

    if NOT exclude:
        add element to result

return result as a new jQuery object

Cheat Sheet

Keep filtering methods side by side.

Live Preview

From five list items, compare .not(), .filter(), and a callback exclude.

Ready — choose a call and click Run.

jQuery Examples

Short, copy-ready snippets. Open DevTools, or use Try It Yourself for a live editor.

$("li").not(":nth-child(2n)").append(" [kept]");

list item 1 [kept]
list item 2
list item 3 [kept]
list item 4
list item 5 [kept]

$("div").not(".green, #blueone").append(" [border]");

yellow boxes get [border]
.green and #blueone stay unmarked

$("#not-demo li").not(".active").append(" [not]");
$("#filter-demo li").filter(".active").append(" [filter]");

.not(".active") → inactive items [not]
.filter(".active") → active items [filter]

$("li").not(function (index) {
  return index < 2;   // true → exclude items 0 and 1
}).append(" [kept]");

list item 1
list item 2
list item 3 [kept]
list item 4 [kept]
list item 5 [kept]

$("li").not(document.getElementById("notli")).append(" [kept]");

// Same idea with a jQuery object:
// $("li").not($("#notli")).append(" [kept]");

list item 1 [kept]
list item 2 [kept]
list item 3
list item 4 [kept]
list item 5 [kept]

Performance Notes

Prefer a tight starting selector, then .not(), over selecting everything and filtering a huge set.

Key Takeaways